*APTA urges CDC to reconsider guidance on commuting alone by car*

https://transportationtodaynews.com/news/18349-apta-urges-cdc-to-reconsider-...

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is encouraging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reconsider its recent guidance encouraging commuting alone by car.

APTA said the stance is misguided, would hamper the nation’s economic recovery, and demonstrates a lack of understanding of how people of all incomes get around their communities.

“For many individuals, the cost of owning and commuting by car is not financially viable and out of reach,” APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas said. “The guidance also doesn’t consider the congestion created by millions of cars stuck in traffic. Gridlock and polluted skies are not the mobility future we want emerging from this crisis.”

Skoutelas said the position also ignores the role public transportation has played during the pandemic as a lifeline in getting essential workers to hospitals, pharmacies, and grocery stores and the measures public transit agencies have taken to safeguard riders and employees.

“In addition, the guidance is confusing and runs counter to past guidance provided to public transit agencies and riders and what has been provided on air travel,” Skoutelas concluded. “We urge the CDC to work with APTA and the public transit industry to further develop appropriate safeguards. The current crisis has underscored that each entity involved in public transit – the transit agencies; the riders; business and elected officials – has a responsibility and role to play in ensuring the safety and vitality of our communities moving forward.”